The Best of Days or The Worst of Days
/Greetings to my Partners in Ministry,
Wow! I am so excited about the worship we had on Sunday. The unity of our voices together lifted my spirit and inspired my soul. As I was waiting to preach, listening to the worship center filled with our voices lifted in praise to God, I felt God’s smiling on our church.
Despite the divided world in which we live, Stonebridge UMC has stayed faithful to be unified around the call of Christ to reach this community. Now more than ever, the communities in the land we call America needs the Church.
My hope and prayer is to stay true to my own vision of the church:
To do all I can to bring people into the life changing, transforming presence of Jesus Christ through our worship.
To continue to strengthen the Christ centered connection of our community of faith to all ages.
To strive to bring people together in relationship centered groups where we all can grow in our faith and discipleship.
To expand our ministry and reach beyond the walls of this church to offer Christ and make a difference for those who are hurting in our communities.
Will you join me in this vision?
These could be the best of days or the worst of days as we move into the new future God has set before us.
These could be the worst days if we allow the issues of our day to divide our congregation and distract us from the fundamental work of evangelizing and make disciples for Jesus Christ. These could be the worst of days if we allow the differences of opinion to become personal. We all love the church and see the great potential that God has put before us. We will need to do all we can to value each other with love and respect, making sure that no one gets left behind.
These could be the best of days if we see the challenges of our day as the next great opportunity for Stonebridge UMC. To clearly define ourselves as Christ’s body and set our church on track to reach beyond our walls, to raise up our children as followers of Jesus, to call and train new leaders for the next great move of God, to strengthen the bonds of unity through our community, and to be conduits for the transforming work of Jesus Christ through worship, study and service.
I believe that God has put us in a unique place and time. The appeal and draw of the mega church has begun to decline. The need for genuine relationships through community is greater than I have seen in my life.
There is no greater offering of community than the church. God has shown us no greater love than the love of Jesus through the cross and the defeated grave. The loving, accepting, outgoing, spirit led, connection that is Stonebridge UMC is both unique and a gift from God. It is not ours to keep or waste, but rather to share with a community hungry for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the fresh breath of the Spirit. We are just the right size, in just the right place, at just the right time.
Pray with me that these will be the best of days for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus and the building of God’s Kingdom.
See you Sunday!
Pastor John Allen